AhhHH !
Yes and yes. Gold strike canyon is my tempel away from my tempel. I go there once a week in order to not get week. During the hot summer heat I went in the late evening or early morning and left before the heat cranked up,usualy.
Now that the weather is most nearly perfect the crowds are coming back. It is a beautiful wonder filled place that always delights the spirit. A few days ago I saw an article about it in this months Las Vegas magazine. The article consentrated on the lower end of the canyon near the River. The arthor seemed to be fond of the hot water fall there. Which is certainly a delightful place to hang. Some one whom I finally met about a month ago, is working on the pools in that area. He caught me siphoning the rocks out of the large pool @ 1/2 mile up canyon from the river. He thanked me repeatedly (unnessasary) and I thanked him 4 his work too.
The large pool is now about 30 feet across and 12 to 16 feet wide. It is less than 6 feet deep on one end and 4 feet deep on the other end. This weekend I was surprised at the temperature when I dove in it was only 89.9 degrees. The weekend before it was 100.4 degrees. the pool up hill from there, the source pool was 109.9 degrees. It is about 10 feet by 12 feet and just over 2 feet deep. The upper cave pool, once a favorite, is seldom used. Last October, Friday the thirteenth, a flood swept through the canyon. Altering the spring source for that pool. It is less than 2 feet deep and about 116 degrees now. The lower cave pool is spackeling clean and a true gem. It is @ 4 feet wide and 14 feet long. In the middle it is 101 degrees, closer to its source in the cave part it is 103 degrees. The cave is 3 feet wide and 12 feet long. It's top is @ 12 feet high. The water fall inside the cave is not a vigorous as before the flood. As you get to the far back side of the cave there are 2 hot spring sources. Large enough to stick your arm or leg into. This weekend the river was finally low enough to hike to the sauna cave. It is a .4 mile hike from where the gold strike canyon empties into the Colorado river. When the river is high you must swim or boat there. It is a cave originally build as a diversion tube for the river to build the hoover dam, they went @ 60 feet back and hit a hot spring. Imagine that? Also there is a nice pool @ 100 yards uphill from where the river connects. It is @ a 10 foot circle and four feet deep, temp. @ 108 degrees.
I post on soak.net also, and just now sat down to update my postings there. So check back there soon to see what is new.
Webmaster Rick should have a link for that web site here as it is a good source for hot spring lovers every where.
I hope this helps you and your friends !
Happy soaking !